Koishii
by ArtemisMoon
Summary: [COMPLETE] Soujirou has a secret...and Misao can't figure it out! Eventually Kaoru and Kenshin both get involved in the mess as well! Will Misao ever get an answer about the mysterious 'girl' that Sou-chan has in his room?
1. Secrets

Comments from ArtemisMoon: Hi everyone! This is going to be a story co- written by Kajun Spice, AKA Sherah if you have been reading my "The Morning After" story, and myself, ArtemisMoon. I hope you enjoy it! Basically, she wrote the plot out and I am doing the writing. It will contain Sou- chan/Misao & Kenshin/Kaoru fluff. Hope you like it! Oh, and this story won't be very long, we already have it plotted out to the end. ^_^  
  
Comments from Kajun Spice: *waves* I was going to put 'No comment' here but ArtemisMoon threatened me. *looks at Artemis pointedly* Hope you enjoy the story! We sure had a blast writing it!  
  
  
  
Chibi-Angel: Do you realize you made this story come into being? LOL It's true. You put the WAFF idea in our heads, and we just had to try it out! So thanks!  
  
Thoughts are in {}  
  
Author's comments are in ( )  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: We do not own Rurouni Kenshin and have never attempted fluff before, so please be nice! We will try to make it as painless as possible!  
  
(The title Koishii means beloved and the reason for such a title will be explained as the story progresses)  
  
  
  
  
  
Koishii  
  
  
  
(Setup: Soujirou and Misao are both staying at the dojo for unknown reasons that aren't important anyway, and who knows where Aoshi is. Our guess is far, far away from Misao…this has no connection what-so-ever to "The Morning After" story)  
  
  
  
It was a hot, sunny summer day. The temperatures kept rising steadily, with no signs of abating. The heat was so awful that every now and then as Kenshin did the laundry, you could see him dunk his head in the soapy water. Kaoru and Yahiko had tried to practice together, but the heat was so strong that they finally gave up, choosing to spend the afternoon sitting in the shade of the porch. Misao, in her skimpy ninja outfit, wasn't suffering too badly, but it still took the edge off her usual hyperactivity. Soujirou though had vanished.  
  
"Mou!" Cried Kaoru in frustration. "It is sooo hot! Kenshin, you don't have to keep working! Take a break!"  
  
Kenshin smiled his rurouni smile at her. "Sessha needs to finish these clothes Kaoru-dono. Anyway, the water feels nice and cool de gozaru yo."  
  
Hearing this, Misao and Yahiko perked up and eyed Kenshin's laundry tub in a way he didn't like. They were so hot and miserable they had failed to notice the way Kenshin kept sticking his head in it, and now were getting that same idea themselves.  
  
Both hopping up at the same time, they ran towards a now horrified Kenshin, who blocked the tub, trying to save his precious clothing! They both tackled him and left him swirly-eyed in the dust. "Orroooo!"  
  
Yahiko made it to the tub first and dunked his head in, but came up coughing. "Ughhhh, soapy!" He hiccuped and a bubble popped out of his mouth. Misao tried to laugh, but it was just too hot.  
  
Kaoru was trying to snap Kenshin out of his dazed state, but nothing was really working. Getting frustrated and feeling a little worried, she finally stomped over to the tub of water and picking it up, dumped it on the unconscious Kenshin! He woke up, spluttering and coughing.  
  
"Gomen, Kaoru-dono! Sessha didn't mean to worry you!" The poor rurouni looked a little embarrassed at the situation. He hated looking so silly in front of Kaoru.  
  
He got up off the ground and went to fill the tub with more water. Misao and Yahiko both noticed how he didn't complain or get upset when Kaoru messed with his laundry tub. Only when anyone else did! Choosing to ignore this, Misao commented on Soujirou's absence instead.  
  
"Does anyone know where Sou-chan went? He has been gone since we woke up with morning!" She then blushed a little at the thought of the boy she had come to like so much. Shaking her head to rid herself of the red in her cheeks, she waited for someone to answer.  
  
Kaoru gave her a knowing look from her spot on the porch. "I have no idea. I wish he would tell us before he runs off like that. I have gotten so used to having him around now that I am actually starting to worry about him!"  
  
Kenshin and Misao both looked at her sharply, wondering at the meaning of that comment, but relaxed when she continued. "He has become kind of like another annoying little brother like Yahiko. Well, not half so annoying as Yahiko!"  
  
"Shut up busu! I am not annoying!" Kaoru gave him an evil eye but made no move to get up and chase him, and he made no move to run. It was just…too…hot!  
  
The little group continued on in this manner for about another hour, when Soujirou finally made his first appearance of the day. He came in the dojo gate and greeted everyone cheerfully enough, and gave Misao a wider smile than anyone else. But something was very strange about him. Maybe the fact that he was wearing a trench coat that looked suspiciously like Aoshi's? Yes, that, and also the fact that there was a very weird buldge underneath the coat. (Get your mind out of the gutter, not that kind of buldge!)  
  
The coat was buttoned all the way up to his chin, and the lump was protruding from the middle of his chest. Everyone gave him the strangest looks because he was sweating profusely in the heat under that coat, but made no move to take it off.  
  
"Sou-chan, where did you get that coat? It looks so much like Aoshi-sama's! Take it off, it's too hot for you to wear it!" Misao had run up to him and was giving him an accusing look.  
  
He smiled at her, but still made no move to remove the coat. "You don't think I look good in a trench coat too, like your Aoshi-sama?"  
  
Misao blushed furiously and changed the subject quickly. "What is that lump under your coat?"  
  
This time it was Soujirou's turn to blush. "Um, just something of mine. I had it for years and forgot it when I left Shishio-sama, but I got it back today."  
  
"But what IS it?" Misao pressed. Everyone else was looking interested as well.  
  
If Soujirou had been sweating badly before, he was a waterfall now! He slowly began edging away from Misao, trying to make an escape. The look on her face was partly confused, and partly hurt. He felt horrible hurting her, but couldn't risk giving away his secret. It was much too important to him.  
  
"Gomen Misao-chan, but I really can't tell you." She pressed him further, but no luck! He spent the whole afternoon, wearing that stupid coat, sweating bullets and on the edge of passing out, but he never did. No amount of teasing, begging, or threats could make him reveal whatever that lump was, and they finally gave up. Or at least he thought they had. Misao had other plans though.  
  
{If I can't get that baka to tell me, I'll have to find out on my own! He has to take that rotten coat off sooner or later, and when he does, I'll be there to see it!}  
  
First she offered to help him with a bath. He declined. She then suggested he go for a swim. He politely refused. She was at her wit's end, and didn't know what to do!  
  
{I'm not perverted enough to spy on him while he's changing clothes! Wait, maybe just a little peek wouldn't hurt. I mean, if I stop watching right after he gets the coat off, I won't see anything except what I want to see! Well, I would like to see more, but…} She began to blush again at the direction her thoughts were going.  
  
Finally making her decision and convincing herself about what she needed to do, she decided to try that night. And all she could do was pray she wouldn't get caught! If she did, she would never live it down!  
  
  
  
  
  
ArtemisMoon: I hope you guys like it! This is a fun story to write and I almost couldn't concentrate on the other one! I am terrified about the WAFF though, I have never written such a thing before…(knees shaking and teeth chattering) Oh, and one more thing. (Shoots amused look at Kajun Spice) I bet she's the first RK author ever who has never watched an episode, and didn't even know what the characters looked like until a few days ago! I plan to fix that as soon as she gets back from Louisiana! How many episodes should I make her watch? You guys vote, I have all 95! (Scrambles out of reach before KS can choke her for that one) Please review, it is so encouraging!  
  
Kajun Spice: First, I want to thank everyone who took the time to leave a review on my poem! It was very encouraging; thank you very much! Ya'll are great! Secondly, *taps ArtemisMoon on shoulder*...Hey, what was my second point?? I forgot....oh yeah. *passes out Reese's to everyone* What?? Don't look at me like that; it isn't a bribe! Really! Ok, so maybe I was hoping ya'll would like the story and review. 


	2. Beloved

ArtemisMoon: (Glares at Kajun Spice) Okay, so I know what I said about Sou- chan getting a chance at her too in the last chapter came out badly! You don't need to rub it in! Anyway, thanks for the reviews everybody! I know there isn't much of a setup for the waff, but I do tend to concentrate on humor more. But if I ever write another fluff story, that's a good tip I will have to remember! Thanks Shinsetsu! ^_^ Oh, and Midori, if we are not too crazy to write fluff, then NO ONE is…LOL!  
  
Kajun Spice: *Ignores glare and hands Hotohori a cookie* Glad to see the bribe worked! Oh, the mysterious lump is revealed in this chapter. Can you believe it isn't a cliff hanger??? *Looks at ArtemisMoon and snickers* We all know how she loves doing that to her readers!  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: We don't own Rurouni Kenshin, but we do own the item in Soujirou's coat!  
  
Thoughts are in {}  
  
Author's comments are in ( )  
  
  
  
Koishii  
  
  
  
Night had finally fallen, and Misao didn't know if she should be excited or worried. She was dying to find out what Soujirou was hiding, but nervous about the thought of actually spying on him in his room! {If Jiya knew, he would probably feel he raised me well, the perverted old man!}  
  
She slipped quietly toward Soujirou's room, trying to be quiet so she wouldn't disturb any of the other occupants of the dojo. But before she made it, she heard the footsteps of someone approaching down the hall, and had to scramble for a hiding place.  
  
Without stopping to think, she opened the door of the closest room at hand, and dove inside just in time! Sliding the door closed as quietly as possible, she held her breath and listened closely.  
  
The footsteps came to a stop just outside the room she was in. Misao, finally realizing exactly where she was, began to panic. She was in KENSHIN AND YAHIKO'S ROOM! Of all the places she would end up in, this had to be the worst!  
  
The door started to slide open, and there was no place for her to hide! {I'd better think of an excuse fast, or I'm dead, because Kaoru will kill me!}  
  
She was only moments away from being discovered when, to her utter relief, she heard the most wonderful sound in the world! Kaoru's voice!  
  
"Kenshin, before you go to bed, can you check the gate and make sure its shut?"  
  
"Hai, Kaoru-dono!" Kenshin slid the door closed, and his footsteps receded down the hall. Without further delay, she scrambled out and down the hall to wait for everyone to go to bed. Soujirou wasn't in his room yet anyway.  
  
She settled in to wait, the darkness concealing her.  
  
And she waited.  
  
And waited.  
  
And waited.  
  
Still no one went to bed. Where was everyone? {I have been waiting for hours! WHERE ARE THEY?!?!}  
  
Actually, she had only been waiting about five minutes, but you know Misao. -_-;  
  
After about ten minutes she was slumped against the wall, ready to pass out, thinking the night had to be almost over by now!  
  
Finally, they came. Kaoru went to bed first in the room she was sharing with Misao, and the younger girl hoped the lump on her futon wouldn't be discovered for the fake it was. (Awww, Misao and Sou-chan have something in common! He has a lump in his coat, and she has one on her bed, hehe!) All three of the guys were next, Soujirou still wearing that stupid coat! Even though it was night, the air was still overly warm for such clothing.  
  
He approached as he headed for his room, and her heart began to race as he drew closer, and not only from fear of discovery! Okay, so he did look silly in that coat and the lump in the middle of his chest, but she didn't care, he was still really cute in her eyes!  
  
Once he entered his room, she only paused long enough to calm her racing pulse and then crept toward the door that concealed her goal. Deciding it would be safer to just listen first, she leaned close, pressing her ear against the rice paper door.  
  
She heard the rustle of clothing, but for some reason he made no move to light a candle to see by. She had just decided it would be safe to crack the door open, when he spoke.  
  
"Finally Koishii, we are together again. I missed you so much."  
  
Misao froze. {Who the heck is he talking to?!?!?!}  
  
His voice continued. "I am so sorry I have to keep you hidden like this, but I don't want anyone to know about you. You're my special secret."  
  
Misao was reeling from the shock, her thoughts in a furious jumble! {Does he have a girl in there with him? How? Where and when did they meet? And I thought he kind of liked me, the jerk!!!}  
  
"I was so sad and lonely without you, Koishii. Well, until I came here and made friends with everyone. But I still missed you. You're the only one that ever really loved me, even after all the bad and terrible things I did! You really understand me."  
  
Misao wanted to knock down the stupid rice paper door. {I understand you too!} Her mind screamed! But she was unable to do more than listen.  
  
"Ever since I lost you, I longed to just be able to hold you at night like before. You're so soft and warm, Koishii. I am so glad we're together again."  
  
{How could he do this to me? Sou-chan!}  
  
Then, his voice changed slightly. It was happy before, but now it became a bit wistful. "No one must ever find out about you, Koishii. Especially Misao-chan! I have come to care for her, but I don't think she would understand about you. So you will just have to be a secret. But that's okay, isn't it? As long as we are together."  
  
{He is gonna cheat on me? That BAKA! I'm not going to sit around and let him have a side fling with some other girl! THIS IS WAR!}  
  
With these furious thoughts running through her mind, she left her position by his door and ran off to be alone. She needed time to think. Soujirou's not going to get away with this!  
  
In his room, alone with Koishii, Soujirou smiled in contentment. "You know I have to have you with me without anyone seeing you." He patted the overcoat that was now on the floor. "This is the perfect way. I may be very hot when I wear it, but I would suffer anything just to have you near." He then snuggled down into his futon, his arms surrounding his lost love. She was so soft and cuddly, and very comforting…but all teddy bears are, aren't they?  
  
  
  
  
  
ArtemisMoon: HAHA! I know teddy bears didn't exist back then, but this is a fanfic, and anything's possible in one of those! Koishii is his name for the bear, and it means 'beloved'. So it sounds to Misao like he's being romantic and calling a girl a pet name! What will happen next, and how will Misao find out the truth? I promise too there will be more K&K very soon, but we needed to reveal what the lump was, LOL! Okay, now I will leave Kajun Spice to explain how the idea for the teddy bear came about and make her comments.  
  
Kajun Spice: *gulp* How the idea came about?? *Looks around, spots a way of escape, and RUNS!!*  
  
(ArtemisMoon shakes angry fist at her retreating back) "CHICKEN!" 


	3. Conversations

ArtemisMoon: WOW! We hit 30 reviews already! I am having so much fun with this story, and I am glad to see everyone else is as well. I promise more WAFF is coming, but I need to work my way up to it, LOL! As for comments to reviewers, let's see…Kyouhi: Someone likes my infamous cliffhangers? I am in shock! Asaka-chan: The coat is just to hide Koishii and to provide some humor. Kajun Spice actually thought of using the coat before she knew Aoshi's coat existed! I guess Misao just has a thing for men in trench coats, LOL! Gypsy-chan: I actually knew the history of the teddy bear and should have thought to put it in! That was a very good idea! I knew from reading a biographical novel on his two wives, Alice and Edith. BTW, it was a very good book, but I cried when he died! ^_^ Chibi-Angel: I know we do work fast, lol, but we spend so much time on the net talking to each other its pathetic really! This would have been up yesterday, but we had ff.net problems too and couldn't get on.  
  
Kajun Spice: I didn't know the history behind the teddy bear so that was a very interesting history lesson, Gypsy-chan! And thanks to everyone else who reviewed!!!!! I'm glad ya'll like the story!!!! *Glances at ArtemisMoon nervously* Somehow I don't think this A/N is long enough to satisfy her.......anyway, on to the story!!  
  
  
  
Thoughts are in {}  
  
Author's notes are in ( )  
  
Koishii  
  
  
  
"I just can't believe he would do this to me!" Misao wailed at she sat outside. It had been less than an hour since she had spied on Soujirou and his "lady friend". Now she was sitting outside on the porch alternately sad and angry, whatever her mood dictated to her. Unfortunately for him, Kenshin found her angry!  
  
"Misao-dono, is something wrong? It's late and you should be asleep de gozaru yo."  
  
She turned and glared at him like he was the one fooling around behind her back! If looks could kill, Kenshin would be a little pile of cinders right now! His eyes widened and he cautiously backed off a bit, a wary look on his face. He could face Shishio Makoto without fear, but an angry woman had no equal in his eyes!  
  
"MEN ARE SCUM!" Misao shrieked! Despite the danger, Kenshin jumped forward and clamped a hand over her mouth before she woke everyone.  
  
"Misao-dono, PLEASE don't wake Kaoru-dono! Sessha will do anything, just please don't yell again de gozaru na!" The poor guy looked as panicked as he sounded at the idea of someone waking Kaoru up, so Misao took pity on him and nodded her agreement. Kenshin let out a sigh of relief and released her.  
  
"Men are still scum!" she hissed!  
  
Kenshin sweat dropped. Well, at least she was quieter about it! "What makes you say that Misao-dono?"  
  
"That rat Soujirou has a woman in his room! I heard him talking to her and calling her sappy names like "koishii"! I have a few choice names for him, and when I get my hands on him, he'll never be able to talk again!"  
  
"Oro?!?!"  
  
"Don't 'oro' me Himura! I know what I heard, and I mean what I say!"  
  
Her voice was beginning to rise again, and Kenshin waved his hands in a placating gesture. "Please calm down Misao-dono! Maybe you just misunderstood…"  
  
"Which part did I misunderstand? The one where he said she was the only one who understands him, or maybe when he said he would have to keep her a secret from me?" Her voice had grown more and more sarcastic with every word, and poor Kenshin was at a loss of what to say.  
  
They sat in silence for several moments, when out of nowhere her face suddenly brightened. "Maybe you can talk with him and find out what's going on! Will you?"  
  
Kenshin gulped nervously. "Demo…"  
  
She gave him the most pathetic look she could muster, and his resolve to not get involved shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. He sighed in defeat. "Hai, Misao-dono…"  
  
She squealed and hugged him before running off to go to bed. Before she entered the house though, she stopped and turned back to him with a questioning look. "Himura, what are you doing up this late anyway?"  
  
He smiled at her and shook his head. "Nothing important. Sessha just doesn't feel very well de gozaru."  
  
A look of understanding dawned on her face. "You really shouldn't let Kaoru- san cook dinner you know. It would be terrible if someone died in their sleep!" She laughed lightly and went inside, leaving Kenshin alone.  
  
Looking at her as she left, he thought it seemed as if nothing were wrong. He supposed she probably felt better now that she had help with her problem. He wished he could say the same.  
  
Sighing, he gazed up at the moon and thought about his own little problem. Well, more like big problem.  
  
{Sessha is such a coward. Misao-dono has no trouble telling other people how she feels about the one she loves, so why do I?}  
  
He thought back to all the times Kaoru had shown some interest in him, and he had just panicked or pretended not to see each and every time. He knew it hurt her, but she had never backed down or given up. The knowledge made him feel relief, but it also made him feel like the world's biggest jerk!  
  
He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn't hear the door slide open.  
  
"Kenshin?"  
  
Kenshin jumped and almost fell off the porch and flat on his face, but recovered just in time! "Kaoru-dono!"  
  
"Is something wrong? I caught Misao-chan sneaking in and she said you don't feel well." The night was dark but he could still make out the concerned look on her face.  
  
He smiled to himself. Trust Misao to get the attention off herself by putting it on him. "Iiya, I'm fine Kaoru-dono. I just couldn't sleep de gozaru ka."  
  
"What were you thinking about?" she pressed.  
  
He frantically searched his mind for something to tell her, because he couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth! "Misao-dono asked me to have a talk with Soujirou!"  
  
She gave him a look of suspicion. "About what?"  
  
"Girls de gozaru na!" he squeaked before he realized what he was saying.  
  
Kaoru didn't know if she should laugh or get angry. The thought of Kenshin giving Soujirou a lecture on girls was enough to make anyone laugh till they were in tears! But on the other hand, Kenshin knowing enough on the subject to talk about it was reason enough for her to put him in traction!  
  
She finally settled on glaring at him. "Well, since you're obviously feeling better, I'm going back to bed! Goodnight!" She started to stomp back inside the house when he called out.  
  
"Wait! Kaoru, sessha didn't mean…" He stopped suddenly when he realized what he said. She obviously noticed it too, because he had never seen her look so surprised.  
  
"You just said my name without the dono! Wonders never cease!" She was smiling happily, and he could not help but return the smile.  
  
"Gomen, Karou. Sessha didn't mean to make you angry." He felt a little awkward saying her name without the dono, but for a man that would pull out his teeth one at a time with pliers if it would make her happy, giving up one small word was nothing. (Accckkk, Kenshin without teeth! Horrible Image! Hey, don't laugh! It may happen if he keeps eating Kaoru's cooking!)  
  
She shook her head at his apology. "I shouldn't have gotten upset." Her face darkened a bit. "But just watch what you say in your little talk, okay?"  
  
Kenshin nodded quickly, and she smiled again. "Goodnight Kenshin and…Thank you."  
  
His violet eyes widened in surprise as she turned and quickly shut the door. His face then relaxed into a smile as he thought about his first little victory. Maybe, just maybe it was a sign of things to come. He turned again to stare into the night sky and admire the stars.  
  
He was alone again, but this time, he didn't feel quite so lonely.  
  
  
  
  
  
ArtemisMoon: Man, that last part was hard! I really had to dig deep down into that bottomless pit of insanity I call my mind and try to find a few drops of seriousness. Truer fluffiness will be on the way as we work up to it, but it's getting there slowly but surely. Do you like it? Feedback is very, very appreciated. Thank you guys for reading! (Turns to Kajun Spice who has been handcuffed to the desk this time so she can't escape till she writes author's notes of a decent length.)  
  
Kajun Spice: hehehe I guess I should have let you know that I have a key to the handcuffs! *Reaches in pocket and whips out key* And no, I will not tell you how I got it.....So far my contributions have been limited to the plot (and these authors notes that I can never write well) and Artemis has been writing the dialog. She's been doing a good job, don't ya'll think?? So leave a review to boost confidence. Heaven knows we'll need all the confidence we can get when it comes to the true fluffiness! 


	4. Revenge

ArtemisMoon: Ta da! Here is the next chapter written by one of the best author's in the world, ME!  
  
Kajun Spice: Hahahaha! You will have to forgive her! It appears her delusions have returned!! Everyone knows that I am...*Artemis pulls out a bag of reeces and dangles them enticingly *  
  
ArtemisMoon: Now who's the best author, cousin dear?  
  
Kajun Spice: *grabs at bag* Well, um....*whispers 'you'*  
  
ArtemisMoon: (Pats Kajun spice on the head) Well, since you admitted it, I'll be nice. The best Author on ff.net is Artemis Spice!  
  
Kajun Spice: Now give me the Reese's!  
  
ArtemisMoon: (Reluctantly hands over the bag) Can I have one?  
  
Kajun Spice *hides bag behind back* Have one what??  
  
ArtemisMoon: (Sighs) Oh well, I'll get my revenge when I make you watch all 95 episodes when you get home, and make you write a report of each one for fujifunmum!  
  
Kajun Spice: *Gulp* Well, we better get on to the story and hope you forget about making me write a report about each one...  
  
ArtemisMoon: (grins evilly) A relative never forgets...  
  
Kajun Spice: *Gulp* Will a bribe help you forget??  
  
ArtemisMoon: Well, maybe if we get enough reviews...  
  
Kajun Spice: *looks at reviewers hopefully* Please save me!!  
  
  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: We do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters. We do own Koishii, Soujirou's teddy bear though!  
  
  
  
Koishii  
  
  
  
The next morning dawned bright and sunny without a single cloud in the sky. The inside of the dojo was looking pretty stormy though! Misao had woken up with vengeance on her mind and a chip on her shoulder. (This should make for an interesting chapter!)  
  
Kenshin was the only other one up and about, and he was cooking breakfast.  
  
Misao walked into the kitchen with a very determined look on her face. Planting herself in Kenshin's path, she put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "I want to help with breakfast this morning, Himura."  
  
Kenshin stopped dead. "Demo…you don't even know how to cook de gozaru!"  
  
Misao waved her hand in an impatient gesture. "That doesn't matter! I don't want to actually cook anything! Here, give me that…"  
  
She grabbed a bowl of rice from Kenshin's hands and pushed him out of the way. Looking around, she gathered a few more ingredients and smiled in glee at the prospects before her.  
  
Kenshin watched her as she worked with a very large sweat drop on his head. {Misao-dono is scary…}  
  
"There! That wasn't so bad, was it?" Misao cleaned her hands off as Kenshin stared at the creation before him. He didn't even need to ask whom it was for.  
  
Misao grinned evilly. "This should get that rats attention!"  
  
Kenshin groaned. He had indigestion already…  
  
****  
  
"Good morning Himura-san, Misao-chan! I see you made breakfast!" Soujirou came from his room smiling and still wearing that trench coat with the bulge. The morning was already very warm, and he had begun to sweat quickly. He didn't seem to be bothered by it though.  
  
Misao gave him a sugary sweet smile, the kind you should always be wary of, but he didn't seem to notice anything amiss and returned the smile with a genuine one of his own. That threw Misao a little, but not for long!  
  
{So what if he's a good actor! It just makes him a bigger jerk!} Despite these thoughts though, she had a hard time hardening her heart against him. {He's so cute though when he smiles…STOP! I can't think like that! He's the enemy!} She continued to smile at him in the same fashion, but Kenshin was the only one who noticed anything dangerous about it.  
  
Soon everyone was gathered for breakfast. Just when they were preparing to eat though, Misao jumped up. "Oh silly me! I forgot something I made especially for Sou-chan! Be right back!"  
  
Everyone watched her retreat into the kitchen except for Kenshin who seemed to be slowly trying to sink though the floor, or at least under the table or wherever he could find a good hiding place!  
  
Misao came running back into the room a few moments later bearing a tray with something on it. She grinned (with a hint of malice no doubt) at Soujirou and placed it in front of him with a flourish! Everyone at the table stared at the contents of the tray without moving.  
  
Well, everyone but Soujirou. He smiled happily and picked it up. "A rice animal! You made it just for me? Thank you Misao-chan!"  
  
Everyone sweat dropped at his oblivious attitude. The fact that the rice animal was not intended as a nice gesture was obvious to everyone else, but not him! He bit into it with relish, thinking how sweet Misao was and how much she must like him.  
  
The poor little rice animal had the usual leaves for ears and little whiskers, but Misao had made a few modifications: There seemed to be something that looked like a long tail growing out the back (she does call him a rat after all) and even little claws! The tiny mouth was in the shape of an O and the eyes were small X's. The worst but most obvious feature of all had to be the chopstick stabbed through its head! (Isn't Misao creative? In a scary way of course.)  
  
The occupants of the breakfast table were very quiet after that and everyone but Soujirou was staring at Misao with something akin to fear. He was watching her with an adoring look, but of course she didn't notice. She was much too angry at his lack of response over the rice animal.  
  
When the meal was over, Misao suddenly turned to Kenshin with a fierce look, and he felt a cold chill run down his spine. Time for that little talk I guess…  
  
****  
  
"Sessha has to do the laundry. Please accompany me Soujirou de gozaru." Kenshin looked pointedly at Soujirou and moved to leave the room.  
  
Yahiko protested. "But I thought he was going to train with me this morning!" Kaoru swatted him on the back of the head.  
  
"Gomen Yahiko, but I need to talk with him de gozaru yo." Kenshin gave him an apologetic look followed by a small glance of fear in Misao's direction.  
  
"Why, Kenshin?" Yahiko protested again, followed by a harder hit from Kaoru. He muttered under his breath and glared at her.  
  
Misao finally decided to step in. "Himura needs to question Sou-chan about the murder of the rice animal. As for your training, I'll train with you!" She grabbed the neck of his gi and proceeded to drag him out. "And in the mood I'm in, you're going to get your butt kicked…"  
  
The last thing the group in the room saw was Yahiko's look of fear. Kaoru sighed and followed them, muttering something about making sure Misao doesn't kill Yahiko. The two men were finally left alone.  
  
"Follow me de gozaru." Kenshin gave the younger man a nervous smile and walked out of the room. Soujirou followed him with a curious look on his face. He couldn't figure out what Kenshin wanted to talk to him about, and he couldn't understand Misao's words earlier either! Poor confused Soujirou! {The murder of a rice animal? Misao-chan can be so strange sometimes! No stranger than me with my trench coat though! Poor Koishii, I hope its not too hot for her in there…}  
  
(Authors both sweat drop themselves at the last thing Soujirou thinks. ArtemisMoon: "And we thought we were crazy!" Kajun Spice nods in agreement, her mouth too full of reeces to comment)  
  
Kenshin meanwhile is looking grim, afraid of what information the conversation will reveal. {Please don't let me find out he had a girl in his room…people always kill the bearer of bad news, and Misao-dono is sure to!}  
  
  
  
  
  
ArtemisMoon: Well that concludes this chapter! No real fluff in this one, but good things come to those who wait, right? And the rice animal was a brilliant idea of Kajun Spice's! Her warped mind surpasses mine by far! (Inches away from Kajun who is now glaring at her with a chopstick in her hand) Oooppss, I had better go…  
  
Kajun Spice: Okay, okay...So there's not a lot of fluff in it so far. We're avoiding it like the plague right now. We'll get around to it soon, I hope! *Waits till no one is looking and stabs Reese's with chopstick then starts bouncing off walls* Hehe, got it in there anyway, Artie!  
  
ArtemisMoon: I told you no bouncing off the walls! But its not like she ever listens to me anyway… 


	5. Relationships

ArtemisMoon: Hi! We are finally back now that fanfiction is working correctly. I hope you haven't completely lost track of what is going on in the story! Anyway, there was a problem with the last chapter upload and it uploaded it twice. Some people reviewed under chapter 5 instead of four like you should have, so in order to review this chapter, those people might have to go back to chapter 4 chapter to review. I am not sure how that will work. Hopefully this one will replace the other chapter five and everything will be in order again. Hope you enjoy this chapter! ^_^  
  
Kajun Spice: Yay! Fanfiction is finally back up!! And we still don't have any waff in this story! Go figure! Anyway, on to the story...  
  
  
  
Author's notes are in ( )  
  
Thoughts are in { }  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: We do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of the characters. We do own Koishii though so please don't steal her! She bites!  
  
  
  
Koishii  
  
  
  
"So, Himura-san, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Soujirou questioned him. They had settled in outside and Kenshin had started on the laundry with a vengeance! Kaoru is going to be lucky if she doesn't have any holes in her kimonos when he's finished, but I am sure there will be plenty of men who will feel lucky if she does!  
  
Kenshin stayed quiet for a moment, trying to decide on how to start. He finally just jumped right in! "Did you have a woman in your room with you last night de gozaru ka?"  
  
Soujirou blanched. "Woman? Why would you think that?"  
  
"You were heard talking to someone." Kenshin admitted with some hesitation.  
  
"By who, Himura-san?"  
  
Kenshin shook his head. "That isn't really important. Sessha just wants to know the truth. You know Kaoru-dono would be angry if you did something like that de gozaru na."  
  
"Well, no, I didn't have a woman with me. Not exactly." Soujirou admitted. "But if I tell you about her, then you can't tell anyone Himura-san! You must keep my secret."  
  
Kenshin stared at him with surprise. "Oro? How can you 'not exactly' have a girl in you're room de gozaru ka?"  
  
"Well, okay, she is a girl."  
  
The confused rurouni sweat dropped. "You are going to have to do better than that de gozaru."  
  
Soujirou blushed slightly and looked down at the ground. Kenshin had never seen him so reluctant. A shocking thought came to mind, and Kenshin gasped. "Did you have a cross dresser in you're room de gozaru ka?"  
  
"NO!" Soujirou almost shouted! He calmed down a bit and gave Kenshin a pleading look. "That's not it, really. If you have to know.Koishii is my.teddy bear." The last words were almost whispered.  
  
Kenshin's eyes widened. "Oro? Did you say teddy bear de gozaru ka?"  
  
The boy nodded and refused to look up at Kenshin. The older man couldn't help himself, and suddenly burst out laughing!  
  
"It's not funny!" Soujirou defended himself. He got up and started to walk off but Kenshin stopped him.  
  
"Gomen! Sessha didn't mean to laugh, but sessha was relieved that's all it was!  
  
Soujirou didn't look at all convinced, so Kenshin decided it was time he confess something. He stopped washing the clothes and sat beside Soujirou on the porch. "Sessha had a bear once long ago too."  
  
The younger man looked amazed. "You did?"  
  
"Hai." Kenshin nodded. "Sessha will tell you about her."  
  
*****  
  
About that time, Kaoru, Yahiko, and Misao had taken a break from practice. Of course, anyone who knows Misao at all can figure out what she does next! And anyone who knows Kaoru can figure out that she joined her!  
  
They both slipped up to the corner of the building just in time to hear Kenshin's next words.  
  
"She had been sessha's favorite companion." Kenshin admitted to Soujirou. "We were together all the time, up until the war. Then I had to leave her behind." He hung his head sadly. "Sessha never saw her again."  
  
"How sad, Himura-san! You must have been heart broken."  
  
Kenshin smiled sadly. "Hai. Sessha could have gone back for her, but now that I have found Kaoru-dono, it's not quite so bad. If Sessha can ever find the courage to tell Kaoru-dono how I feel, she probably wouldn't want to share with her anyway de gozaru na."  
  
If you could have only seen the shocked looks on the faces of the two listening! Kaoru was torn! Should she feel happy that he has feeling for her, or should she kill him because he still misses another woman! Choices, choices! Her fist tightened on her bokken, showing the direction she was leaning.  
  
Soujirou seemed to be lost in thought, and Kenshin waited patiently. "Himura-san, I can tell you know exactly how I feel about Koishii. I feel like I can trust you, so I have an idea. Would you like to share her with me?"  
  
Kenshin's eyes widened in surprise. "Oro? Share her de gozaru ka?"  
  
"Hai! I can sleep with her one night, and you can sleep with her the next!" Soujirou seemed to really like the idea!  
  
Kaoru's fist tightened even more on the bokken, and was on the verge of snapping it in two! {Of all the nerve! Sharing a woman! I am going to kill them BOTH!} Kaoru's thought's raged. Misao's were along the same line.  
  
Kenshin suddenly smiled, making Kaoru more furious! "Sessha would like that! It would be like old times de gozaru."  
  
"Then it's settled! You can have her tonight! Just please don't tell Misao- chan about her please. I don't want to her to know, because she might not like me so much anymore. Women lose respect for men when they do things like this."  
  
{No kidding!} Misao mentally shrieked! {Wait till I get my hands on them.Himura is a traitor! I thought he would help me, and all he does it cheat on poor Kaoru-san!}  
  
Both of the women looked at each other with fierce expressions. Poor Kenshin and Soujirou! Will they survive the night?  
  
*****  
  
"I can't believe those guys!" Kaoru raged later. She and Misao had left the dojo to talk where no one would hear them, and also so they wouldn't have to face Kenshin or Soujirou yet. "I never thought Kenshin would do something like this to me! Where is this little hussy they keep talking about, and who is she? I am gonna wring her scrawny little neck!"  
  
"Calm down Kaoru-san!" Misao told her friend. Out of character, isn't it? Well, not really. "I WANT TO DO IT! You can beat her with you're bokken!"  
  
Kaoru took a deep breath, knowing they were not going to get anywhere like this. "Okay, here is the plan. She is going to sleep with Kenshin tonight, right? Well, I am going to catch them together, THEN KILL HER!" The rage was back full force!  
  
Misao nodded happily. "Can I watch at least?"  
  
Kaoru shook her head. "No, leave Kenshin to me. This is going to get ugly, and you need to deal with Sou-chan later."  
  
"That's true." Misao mused. "Just leave some of that hussy to me! I have to get a piece of her too!"  
  
Kaoru smiled with malice. "It's a deal! So, shall we head back to the dojo? Maybe I need to make Kenshin a rice animal!"  
  
"Hey, great idea Kaoru-san! But really, let someone else cook dinner. I want the guys to actually live long enough so suffer!"  
  
Kaoru glared at Misao. "If my cooking is so bad, maybe I should use it to put YOU out of you're misery!"  
  
Misao sweat dropped. "Um, I don't think I'm really hungry."  
  
Kaoru smirked. "You should eat more and fill out. At least stuff something in you're shirt to get Sou-chan's attention. Maybe you can borrow that lump that's in his coat!"  
  
It was Misao's turn to be furious. "You're evil, Kaoru-san!"  
  
"Oh, you don't know how evil I can be." Kaoru murmured. "I'll get you, Kenshin no baka, and you're little hussy too!" Both girls laughed, but eyed each other warily after their little fight.  
  
Hey, with friends like these two, maybe they will do each other in! At least Kenshin and Soujirou would have nothing else to worry about!  
  
  
  
  
  
ArtemisMoon: Like it so far? We hope so! It shouldn't be much longer I think. And some Kenshin and Kaoru fluff is coming up, probably in the next chapter. I will be sweating bullets when I start writing that! SAVE ME KENSHIN! AOSHI! SOMEBODY! Quit laughing Kajun Spice, or I will make you write it!  
  
Kajun Spice: ~shudder~ I wasn't laughing! That was just a little chuckle that escaped. Hehehe! So what's Kaoru going to do to poor Kenshin this time???? 


	6. Mistakes

ArtemisMoon: (Looks worried) I hope this chapter came out well! Thank you my sister Tabitha for playing WAFF critic for us! And thank you to me10sai for the e-mails and liking the story so much! And I am so glad we had so many returning reviewers! I know you must be busy Midori (remembers all the stories Midori has going and suddenly feels like fainting) and of course Susan, you review almost everything! ^_^ Okay, Kajun Spice, you can write your author's comments, but don't scare everybody. We need every reviewer we can get!  
  
Kajun Spice: ~pelts Artemis Moon with Reese's then eats the weapons before she regains consciousness~ Thanks again Cousin Weasel for proof reading this for us! Heaven knows we need all the help we can get! And Hotohori, I enjoyed the nice long review you left. We'll be sure to throw some more cliffhangers in just for you! And Toraneko, it's no fun if we don't torture Sou-chan! Anyway, on to the story!!!!!  
  
  
  
Authors comments are in ( )  
  
Thoughts are in {}  
  
Disclaimer: We are not responsible for any sick feelings you may get from reading fluff written by us. (Kajun Spice glares at Artemis and pushes her away from the computer) "Don't listen to her! She gets confused sometimes." We do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters, just Koishii.  
  
  
  
Koishii  
  
Dusk had long since fallen and Kaoru and Misao had returned to the dojo. It was all the pair could do to act like nothing was wrong, and they waiting for the perfect opportunity, with what they thought was the perfect plan in mind. Do men ever really know what they are up against? (Both authors yell "NO!" loudly!)  
  
They were all sitting quietly together when Kaoru suddenly stood. Everyone looked up at her, and she pretended to yawn. "I am pretty tired. I believe I will go to bed early tonight so I can terrorize Yahiko properly in practice tomorrow."  
  
Kenshin and Soujirou looked amused, but tried not to let Yahiko see it, who was of course offended! "What are you talking about busu? You ALWAYS terrorize me, practicing or not!"  
  
WHAM! Poor Yahiko was unconscious on the floor, just the way Kaoru had planned it. She smiled suddenly. "Well, since Yahiko's 'asleep' now, I suppose I can drag him to bed with me. Help me Misao-chan."  
  
"Please don't bother Kaoru-dono, I will take care of him de gozaru!" Kenshin protested.  
  
"No, no, it's okay!" Misao put in brightly. "I WANT to help the little brat.er.boy!"  
  
The two girls drug Yahiko out of the room, leaving Kenshin and Soujirou with sizable sweat drops. Kenshin was the first to comment. "Its it just me, or is Kaoru-dono and Misao-dono acting strangely?"  
  
Soujirou considered. "Yes, I think so, but it doesn't matter. That works in our favor! I promised you Koishii tonight, so I will go get her and put her in your room. Please wait here Himura-san just in case Misao-chan comes back." He looked a little uncertain at the thought of Misao, but moved to leave anyway.  
  
Kenshin suddenly doubted the wisdom of this. He was sharing a room with Yahiko right now. What if he saw him sleeping with a teddy bear? Yahiko admired Kenshin, but it wouldn't stop him from teasing him about it for the rest of his life, or even.GULP.from telling Kaoru! NOT a good idea!  
  
"WAIT!" Kenshin called out. Soujirou turned around and waited. "Sessha does not think this is such a good idea.if Yahiko woke up and saw her."  
  
Understanding dawned. "I don't think you have to worry Himura-san. He is out cold, and anyway, you can just keep her under the covers." Soujirou smiled and walked out of the room.  
  
A few minutes later, he came back and told Kenshin "she" was in his room, and Kaoru and Misao were listening now that they had managed to dump Yahiko into bed. Perfect! With a barely suppressed laugh, Kaoru ran down the hallway with her bokken, while Misao watched enviously.  
  
*****  
  
"There she is!" Kaoru hissed under her breath. The room was dark, but she could make out a faint lump under the covers. Slipping quietly into the room, she glanced over at Yahiko. {Kenshin, that pervert! I can't believe he would sleep with a woman in the same room with Yahiko!}  
  
She made her way over to the bed as silently as an angry woman possibly can, which wasn't silent at ALL and raised her bokken in the air. With a swift motion, she brought it down on the lump! Laughing gleefully, she did it again.and again! "DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!"  
  
Oh, the feeling was exhilarating! She was really starting to enjoy herself, and making quite a commotion in the process! It didn't register that the lump was almost as soft as the bed. She was having way too much fun!  
  
The door to the room slid open, and a shocked Kenshin stood and watched the show! He couldn't figure out what Kaoru thought she was doing until he had a certain thought. {Does Kaoru-dono think SESSHA is in that bed? Is she trying to kill me?}  
  
That one scary thought brought on a loud, panicked "ORO?!?!" and Kaoru stopped dead, realizing he was in the room.  
  
"Kaoru-dono, what are you doing de gozaru ka?" Kenshin squeaked nervously, VERY afraid of the answer!  
  
She turned around and blushed bright red. "I was.um.well you see.YOU'RE A PERVERTED JERK KENSHIN!" She burst into tears and Kenshin was more confused than ever! WHAT had he done?  
  
"Kaoru-dono, sessha doesn't understand. Were you trying to kill me because you think sessha is a perverted jerk?" He was still too wary yet to try and comfort her. You don't exactly approach someone who might have been trying to do you in moments before!  
  
(Authors look confused. Artemis: "Kaoru has been trying to do him in for a long time with her cooking, what's the difference now?" Kajun Spice: "I think he finally had a moment of SENSE!")  
  
"Kenshin!" Kaoru wailed miserably. "I wasn't trying to kill you, baka! I was trying to get rid of that hussy in you're bed! How could you sleep with someone else?"  
  
"Oro? You mean Koishii?" Kenshin questioned.  
  
"Hai! You call her pets names and not a dono in sight!" Another round of tears appeared.  
  
Understanding wasn't long in coming, and despite the situation, Kenshin suddenly felt like laughing, and did! Kaoru glared at him, not understanding what he was laughing about.  
  
Kenshin suddenly had a rare (and very stupid) streak of complete honesty. "Sleeping with Koishii might be fun, but sessha would prefer you de gozaru yo." As if he didn't realize what he had said until AFTER he said it, he suddenly blushed as red as his hair! "Gomen Kaoru-dono, sessha shouldn't have said that!"  
  
Kaoru was standing in complete shock, not knowing if she should be happy or even angrier with him! "Gomen?!?! If you had only said that sooner maybe.but it's too late, you have HER now."  
  
Ahhh, right about time for Kenshin to stick his foot in his mouth again! "The three of us could sleep together de gozaru na!" He figured out how it sounded just a little too late! Poor Kenshin!  
  
"KENSHIN NO BAKA!" Kaoru screamed! She lunged at him and he ducked just in time! Figuring only one thing could save him now, he dove for the futon on the floor behind her and reached under the covers. Just as she was bearing down on him, (No pun intended, lol!) he held the bear in front of his face, as if expecting that ball of fluff to protect him from her bokken. And in a way, it did!  
  
Kaoru stopped in mid swing and stared at the large teddy bear in Kenshin's hands. Kenshin let out an audible sigh and peered out from behind the bear to make sure it was safe. When he decided it was, he stood up and held the bear out to her. "This is Koishii de gozaru."  
  
"Th.th.THAT is Koishii?" Kaoru stuttered in amazement.  
  
"Hai. I am sorry that I didn't say anything before, but Soujirou had me promise not to tell. I had a bear like this once too, and he offered to share her with me." He had suddenly dropped all his word play, and it made a noticeable difference to her, and was probably the one thing that snapped her out of her shock.  
  
"You mean there never was any other woman? When you talked about 'her' from your past, I thought maybe you meant some girl." Kaoru looked at the ground and refused to look at Kenshin.  
  
"Iie, there was never any other woman except for Tomoe, but you knew about her. And there is no one now except for you."  
  
(Authors look amazed that both Kenshin's feet are still planted firmly on the floor and not in his mouth)  
  
When Kaoru made no response to this, Kenshin started feeling a little worried. "Please look at me Kaoru."  
  
She finally did, and he was surprised to see her smiling, if still quite red in the face. "Don't worry Kenshin, I'm not upset with you anymore, just really embarrassed."  
  
Kenshin smiled. "Please don't be. I would have reacted that way.no, even worse if you had been sneaking around with another man." His face darkened slightly. "But I had better not think about that too much."  
  
Kaoru's look turned hesitant, and she stared at her feet. "Do you really mean that? I was starting to wonder, even before the whole Koishii thing."  
  
Kenshin stepped forward and tilted her chin up so she would be looking at him again, and gave her a smile that could melt any girls heart. (Watches as the female readers drop like flies). "Kaoru, I mean every word I say. There has been no one but you since the first day I met you, and I don't believe there ever will be. No, I know there will never be another."  
  
"Do you know how long I have waited to hear you say that you baka?" There was no force behind the insult now though.  
  
"I will say it every day for the rest of my life if you like." Kenshin offered.  
  
Kaoru pretended to consider it. "Iie, I think I have a better idea."  
  
As if Kenshin could read her mind, he moved his hand to her cheek and slowly leaned in to kiss her, and the blissful couple was unaware of anything around them but themselves. Kenshin wrapped his arms around Kaoru's waist, and her bokken fell from her limp hand. But the loud clattering sound didn't phase the two one bit. They were a lost cause! ^_^  
  
While kissing, Kaoru's now bokkenless hand had found its way into his fiery red hair, and both were thoroughly enjoying themselves. Good thing Yahiko was out cold! All good things must come to an end though, but only for now. -_^  
  
Once the two came up for air (only because they had too, not because they wanted to), Kenshin had streak of mischievousness. "The offer still stands you know."  
  
"What offer?"  
  
"You can sleep with us." Kenshin reminded her, referring to himself and Koishii.  
  
Surprisingly enough, Kaoru didn't get angry. She blushed of course, but just swatted him. "I don't think so. One woman alone is more than you can handle, so she can have you!"  
  
Kenshin pretended to look hurt. "But she can't kiss like you!"  
  
Kaoru raised an eyebrow. "Should I dare ask how you know THAT?!?!"  
  
Both laughed and after another kiss (Do we feel the temperature going up in here?) Kaoru said goodnight and left Kenshin to Yahiko and Koishii.  
  
Kenshin prepared for bed, feeling like he was floating on a cloud. {I never thought this would happen. I know I don't deserve her, but I love her so much. I will work the rest of my life to keep her happy, but I am sure it won't feel like work at all. After all my hesitation and stupidity, I can't believe a little teddy bear brought us together!} Kenshin looked at Koishii in amusement. {I wonder if she can do the same for Soujirou and Misao.} With this last idle thought, Kenshin fell asleep to dream about Kaoru, and she did the same.  
  
  
  
ArtemisMoon: I tried, I tried! The hardest thing I have ever had to write! Was that fluff? I hope so! And this turned out to be an especially long chapter for this story, a special one dedicated to all those K&K fans out there! And there are quite a lot of us! Now I am sure you are wondering what is going to happen next. Good, it will make you come back for the next chapter! I hope you enjoyed it and please leave us reviews, they are our story's life support system. They can't live on Reeces like Kajun Spice can.  
  
Kajun Spice: Awwww, that was so sweet!! I think I'll have to go out and get my own little Koishii! 


	7. Surprises

ArtemisMoon: Yes, we are finally getting the next chapter out! It's not Kajun Spices fault, its all mine because I have been lazy! Shame on me, I know.I am so happy we have almost 80 reviews now though! As for reviewers, I have to give a special thanks to me10sai, who pushed me to get this chapter done, even if it was by rather violent means. (Runs as Me10sai pulls out Kenshin's sakabatou again, and Kajun Spice catches on to the idea and grabs Me10sai's baseball bat.) I guess this means my comments are over! Acckk!  
  
Kajun Spice: *looks at me10sai and pouts* I wanted to play with the sakabatou! But since you pushed Artemis to get this chapter done, I'll let you chase her with it. After all, not just anyone can get her writing! Good job!  
  
Author's notes are in ( )  
  
Thoughts are in { }  
  
Disclaimer: Artemis - It's not my fault this chapter is so late! Really! Procrastination runs in my family! (Gets threatened with the baseball bat again.) Okay, okay! We do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters. Just Koishii, so don't bother taking her. Kajun Spice - Yeah, cause Sou- chan is the only one she loves anyway! She only slept with Kenshin as a favor to Sou-chan!  
  
  
  
Koishii  
  
  
  
Kaoru was still sleeping deeply early the next morning (with a big smile plastered on her face, hehe), when she got a very rude awakening! Misao tackled Kaoru in her futon, and started shaking her frantically!  
  
"What happened last night!" She demanded loudly. "You were in there SOOOO long I feel asleep waiting for you!"  
  
"Mi.Misa.o.stop.shak.ing me!" Kaoru managed to get out in between muffled thumps as her head hit the bed. When what Kaoru said finally got through to her, she let go of Kaoru's shoulders and began glaring at her instead.  
  
"That's better." Kaoru muttered as she sat up. "Anyway, I wasn't in there all that long!"  
  
Misao still glared. "Who cares how long you were in there? That isn't the point! What about HER?!?!"  
  
"Her?" Kaoru asked blankly. "Oh yeah, that's right, Koishii. Well, I found out she really isn't as bad as we thought." Her look suddenly turned dreamy. ".And Kenshin isn't either."  
  
Misao's look turned horrified, and she covered her mouth with her hand. "You didn't! What did you do, sleep with BOTH of them?!?!?! How sick! YOU TRAITOR!"  
  
Kaoru's eyes widened. "NO! That isn't what I."  
  
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" Misao yelled. "Everyone around here is sick! Am I the only one left who has any sense?"  
  
Kaoru tried again. "Really Misao-chan, if you would only listen a minute."  
  
The effort was just no use against Misao's hot temper. "Wait till I get my hands on her! She's even turned my best friend against me!"  
  
With that announcement, the small girl ran out of the room, leaving Kaoru staring after her.  
  
Entering the hall at such a fast speed, she collided into Soujirou with his trench coat, lump, and all! And we all know that lump wasn't just because he was happy to see her! "Ohayo Misao-chan!"  
  
"Get out of my way, you pervert!" She shoved him to the side of the hallway and kept on running. The poor, confused boy stopped and looked down at his hands.  
  
"Were my hands somewhere they shouldn't have been when she ran into me?" A slow smile spread across his face. "I hope so!"  
  
Back inside the room, Kaoru was still staring at the door with a dumbfounded look. She finally found her voice. "That didn't go to well. Maybe after she cools off a little she will let me explain."  
  
Feeling full of doubt at the idea of Misao ever really cooling off and calming down, she finally rose from her place on her futon. As she started to dress and think back over the previous night, all thoughts of Misao were soon forgotten. A dreamy look spread across her face once more, and with her lack of concentration it's surprising she managed to get all her clothing on in the right places!  
  
(Artemis & Kajun look annoyed, cause they could have had some fun with that!)  
  
When she finished, she exited the room with a smile on her face, only to run into Soujirou herself, who was standing there, waiting for her.  
  
"Ohayo, Kaoru-chan!"  
  
If possible, her smile got wider. "Ohayo!" She walked up closer and patted the lump on his chest. "Ohayo to you as well, Koishii!"  
  
Soujirou paled a bit. "You mean you know?"  
  
She nodded happily. "Its all thanks to Koishii that Kenshin and I." She trailed off, giggling and blushing. "That Kenshin and I.Oh, I LOVE KOISHII!"  
  
Soujirou laughed in relief that she wasn't going to tease him about his childish attachment to the toy. "What happened? Or is it something too personal for me to know?" He asked innocently, eyebrows raised.  
  
Her face darkened and she glared at him. "Don't push you're luck. We did not do ANYTHING like that!"  
  
Soujirou backed up a few steps and sweat dropped. "I was only joking Kaoru- chan!"  
  
Kaoru calmed down slightly, and suddenly remembered that Soujirou had been waiting for her. "That's right, did you want something? You were waiting for me."  
  
Soujirou's constant smile seemed to fade a bit. "Hai. You see, I wanted to ask you about Mi."  
  
"Ohayo!" Another voice called out as Kenshin's door slid open. Kenshin stood there smiling brightly, and a very grumpy looking Yahiko was behind him. The young boy was rubbing a large bump on his head, grumbling under his breath.  
  
Kaoru immediately began to blush, but also gave him a questioning look. She had completely forgotten her conversation with Soujirou already. "Were you in bed this late? That isn't like you."  
  
Kenshin shook his head. "Iie. Sessha was checking on Yahiko. He has quite a bump on his head de gozaru na."  
  
Kaoru suddenly gasped. "I forgot all about that! Are you okay Yahiko?"  
  
"Am I ever okay after you come anywhere near me busu?" His annoyed look suddenly turned to one of confusion. "Wait, you never ask me if I'm okay. Maybe I should be asking you! Who are you and what have you done with the real busu?" Yahiko started laughing at his own joke.  
  
Surprisingly enough, Kaoru didn't get angry, but instead chose to ignore the joke. "I'm in a good mood this morning! You know, I think I will cook breakfast for everyone!"  
  
"NO!" Three voices protested in unison.  
  
Kaoru's face turned stormy. "And.why.not?"  
  
Kenshin sweat dropped and tried to think of an excuse. He figured after last night, he was the least likely one to get killed. At worst, she would probably only injure him severely. "Sessha wants to make Kaoru something special!" He blurted out.  
  
The dark look on her face vanished like magic! "How sweet Kenshin! What are you going to make me?"  
  
Kenshin's eyes darted around nervously, trying to think of something! "Umm.sessha can't tell! It's a surprise!" He mentally kicked himself. {Not only will it be a surprise to her, but to me too! I don't know how to cook anything that I haven't cooked before!}  
  
Soujirou finally figured out exactly what the problem was. "Don't worry Kaoru-chan. He has a great surprise in mind for you, and I am going to help him. You can't watch, so why don't you go and practice a little with Yahiko while we cook?"  
  
He pushed a very happy Kaoru down the hall, and a very disgusted Yahiko followed her. After they left, Kenshin stared at Soujirou hopefully. "Please tell sessha you have an idea! Sessha has already cooked everything I know how to cook do gozaru!"  
  
Soujirou smiled brightly. "Of course I do! I want to make something special for Misao-chan as well. She seemed a bit angry with me this morning. I also want to return the favor after she made me such a special treat yesterday!"  
  
Kenshin started to look worried as he remembered the evil looking rice animal from the day before. "You don't mean.we are going to make those do you?"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"ORO!" Kenshin started mentally making out a will. {Sessha will leave his Sakabatou to me10sai.Iie! If sessha does that, it may result in more stories like this! Bad idea de gozaru!}  
  
*****  
  
Kaoru and Yahiko were both sitting at the small table, waiting for Kenshin and Soujirou, who were still in the kitchen. The former one was waiting with more eagerness than anyone ever does for her cooking! (Big shock!)  
  
"What could be taking them so long?" She grumbled. "I want to see my surprise!"  
  
Yahiko yawned widely. "We can't eat without the weasel girl, can we? Where is she anyway?"  
  
Kaoru frowned. "I don't know. She ran off this morning and I haven't seen her since. We had a misunderstanding and..."  
  
"We're finished!" Soujirou called cheerfully from the kitchen. Kenshin was suspiciously quiet. "Has Misao-chan shown up yet?"  
  
The two men walked in with covered trays, and Kaoru waved off the question. "I'm sure she'll show up soon! Let's eat now!"  
  
Soujirou was uncertain, and it showed plainly on his face. He had worked so hard on his surprise for Misao, and now she wasn't even here to see it! "But I was hoping." His voice trailed off.  
  
"Don't worry, sessha is sure Misao-dono will show up soon de gozaru na." Kenshin assured him quietly. He could tell something was wrong, but he didn't want to pry.  
  
The younger man smiled. "I'm sure you're right. Why don't you give Kaoru- chan what you made?"  
  
Kenshin gulped. "You mean sessha has to?"  
  
The object of his affection and his special surprise was getting impatient. "Just let me see it Kenshin no baka!"  
  
"You asked for it." He muttered under his breath.  
  
"What did you say?" Kaoru asked.  
  
"NOTHING!" He squeaked, and quickly set the tray in front of her.  
  
She hurriedly pulled the piece of the cloth off the tray and stared at the contents. "What is it?"  
  
Kenshin and Soujirou sweat dropped. When Kenshin didn't answer, Soujirou finally did. "Its you of course."  
  
"ME?!?! That.that.THING is me?" She looked up at Kenshin, and the worry on his face increased tenfold. The man has good reason to be scared! The little rice animal had large eyes, and of all things, a little carrot bokken. Its expression wasn't all that friendly either.  
  
"Ken.shin."  
  
"Oro!"  
  
A small fight broke out, mostly of Kaoru strangling Kenshin, although she did try using the carrot bokken on him. The damage wasn't enough for her liking though, so that's when she started strangling him. During all this, Soujirou wasn't paying a bit of attention. He looked at the tray in his hands dejectedly. A small sigh escaped him, and he set the tray down on the table with a soft click. Not even bothering to try and help Kenshin, he walked off.  
  
Kaoru stopped what she was doing, much to Kenshin's relief, and watched him leave. "Is something wrong with him?"  
  
Kenshin rubbed the fingerprints on his neck and then started picking carrot pieces out of his hair. "He's probably upset because Misao-dono didn't show up. He made something for her, and well." He turned his eyes to the tray on the table.  
  
Feeling curious, Kaoru uncovered the contents. "It.it.looks like Koishii!" She gasped softly. It had little teddy bear ears and everything. Soujirou had obviously worked very hard on it.  
  
Kenshin nodded. "He finally decided he would tell Misao-dono about her."  
  
"Poor Sou-chan! Isn't there anything we can do to help?"  
  
"Iie, we shouldn't get involved anymore. They need to work it out for themselves."  
  
Kaoru nodded reluctantly, and stared at the Koishii rice animal with a sad look.  
  
"Please don't look like that." Kenshin said softly as he moved to stand in front of her. "It makes me feel sad as well." He put one of his hands on her left cheek, the caress making her smile slightly. "If we could work things out as confused as we were, I am sure they will."  
  
Things were quiet for several moments, as the two got lost in their own little world.  
  
"AHEM!" Yahiko loudly cleared his throat. In all the commotion, his presence had been forgotten. Kaoru and Kenshin jumped apart guiltily, their faced flushed a bright red!  
  
Yahiko looked half-amused and half-angry. "I hate to ruin the moment, but I have to know.WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE!!!!!!"  
  
Kaoru and Kenshin glanced at each other, and then back to the angry boy in front of them. "You don't want to know!" They said in unison.  
  
Yahiko sweat dropped.  
  
  
  
  
  
ArtemisMoon: (Panting after being chased by her angry friends) Yikes, that was a hard chapter to write! Especially while running! Anyway, I hope you guys all like it, and again I am so sorry about the delay. The next chapter will be out quicker, I promise! I love hearing your comments! This story is coming to a close though. There will probably be only one or two chapters at most left. We were hoping to make it a bit longer, but I am not sure we can draw it out that long. ^_^  
  
Kajun Spice: Attack of the rice animals again! Is anyone else noticing this trend in ArtemisMoon's stories? I think we should appoint them as her official mascot! 


	8. Remembering

ArtemisMoon: I am so, so, so sorry! I am a procrastinator of the worst kind! I give you all leave to throw rotten fruit at me, but at least be nice about the story since its not Kajun's fault. I tend to get distracted too easily, I know (Blame Inuyasha!!!!). I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I will try to make it extra fluffy for all of you! I enjoy your reviews so much. Thank you Me10sai for pushing me to get this chapter done, but still being understanding about it. ^_^ And thank you everybody else who reviewed! At the end I will try to give some more extended thanks. But enough of this, I must let Kajun have her moment and then all you guys can have the story!  
  
Kajun Spice: *Kajun's passes around some rotten fruit* A rotten apple for you Me10sai, a rotten banana for Hembadoon, a rotten peach for Fujifunmum, and a rotten coconut for Midori (ouch!).Okay, please just don't get any on the furniture or you guys will be the ones cleaning it up! Don't look at me like that, just because I handed it to you doesn't mean I am gonna help you! *Reviewers start throwing fruit at Kajun* That's what I get for trying to be nice!!!! *Kajun glares at a grinning Artemis as she wipes some banana goop from her head*  
  
Thoughts are in { }  
  
Author's notes are in ( )  
  
Disclaimer: We do not own Rurouni Kenshin or its characters, just Koishii, whom we have loaned to Sou-chan. If you steal Koishii then that would end the story and you would have a lot of angry readers after you and not Artemis for procrastinating so long!  
  
  
  
Koishii  
  
  
  
It was later in the morning and Kenshin was, as usual, washing his laundry. The air was still hot and stifling, causing Kaoru and Yahiko to avoid the morning practice routine and instead seemed to be having a glaring contest over whom would be the one cleaning the floors that day. As for Soujirou and Misao, both were conspicuously absent.  
  
Kenshin watched the two glaring at each other with a huge sweat drop on his head before deciding to mind his own business.  
  
"Yahiko!" Kaoru muttered. "If you don't get off your lazy butt and do something."  
  
Yahiko gave her an indignant look and snorted in disgust. "Me? What about you, busu?"  
  
"DON'T CALL ME BUSU! I happen to be a very desirable lady, right Kenshin?" Her head whipped around to stare at him, her face daring him to make one wrong move.  
  
"Of course, Kaoru." Kenshin agreed, keeping his eyes on the wet clothes in his hands. The next sounds heard were the sounds of Yahiko gagging and the loud crack of a bokken over the young boy's head. Kenshin cringed and kept his gaze averted from the painful scene.  
  
"What did you do that for busu?!?!"  
  
*CRACK!*  
  
"STOP IT!"  
  
"ORO! Kaoru, Yahiko."  
  
"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!" The two yelled in unison.  
  
Kenshin quickly went back to his laundry.  
  
*****  
  
The shade felt nice on such a hot day, but Misao didn't seem to notice this small comfort as she sat by the edge of the river under a tree. Her eyebrows were lowered and her face was intent as she stared at the flowing water. The sun's position in the sky told Misao it was about noon, and she had already missed breakfast, but the small girl had no intention of returning to the dojo.  
  
"I should probably just go home. It's obvious no one wants me here."  
  
Only the sound of the running water answered her.  
  
"Why do I even care what he does? I should just forget him and go tell Kaoru-san I am leaving today. Right now even!" Despite these words, Misao made no move to leave her spot under the tree.  
  
She sat there for several more minutes, thinking about the events during the past couple of days, and how miserable she felt when a certain 'Koishii' came into Soujirou's life. Everything had been wonderful up to that point.  
  
Misao smiled a little as she thought about the first day she and Soujirou had met. She had come to Tokyo without notice to stay with Kaoru, and Soujirou had come wondering into the area as well..  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Misao's feet crunched along the dirt road just on the edge of Tokyo. She seemed her perky self now that she was almost there, and smiled happily at the thought of seeing her friends again after so many months.  
  
Reaching the first of the many buildings in the city, she broke into a sprint and ran around the corner.  
  
*BAM!*  
  
Colliding with something, or rather someone, Misao hit the road butt first. Without looking at the person she shrieked angrily, "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, BAKA!"  
  
The person in front of her laughed, and she looked up, startled. Her own jade green eyes met the bluest eyes she had ever seen, even bluer than her Aoshi-sama's. His gi and hakama were both blue as well, and Misao just stared at him with her mouth hanging open. It was probably the most silent she has ever managed to be in her entire life.  
  
He smiled at her and held out his hand. "Gomenasai." His look turned slightly questioning.  
  
"Mi.Misao." Still she sat there without making a move to take his hand.  
  
The boy let out another laugh and reached down to grab her hand since she made no move to give it to him. She couldn't find the words to protest, and doubted that she even wanted to.  
  
"Gomenasai Misao-chan.are you alright?" He gave her another gentle smile.  
  
Misao's face turned bright red at the informal 'Misao-chan' as well as the contact with his hand and the smile. She didn't know whether to be angry of flattered, so she settled on remaining silent. Another first for her we bet.  
  
His face fell a bit at her silence, but he continued to try anyway. "Can I walk you to your home? Do you live around here Misao-chan?"  
  
She shook her head furiously and finally found her voice. "No.I don't live in Tokyo. I'm here to visit some friends."  
  
Soujirou had to admit he was feeling a little underhanded. He wanted to know where she would be staying. "Can I help you find your friends, then? I must do something to apologize."  
  
Misao shook her head again. "No, it was my fault. And I can find the Kamiya dojo without help. Arigato for the offer though."  
  
Soujirou's eyes widened at the familiar name, and Misao watched him curiously, noting his odd reaction.  
  
"Kamiya.dojo." he whispered. His smile didn't seem as bright as it had been just a moment before, but he smiled still.  
  
"Is something wrong?" Misao questioned. "Do you know Kaoru-san.or Himura maybe?"  
  
"Hai. I know Himura-san." He admitted softly.  
  
Excitement began to shine in her eyes. "You do?!?! Come with me to the dojo then!" She latched onto his arm without thinking about it and began to tug.  
  
Soujirou shook his head. "I had better not.in the past we were not exactly on friendly terms."  
  
Misao stopped pulling and huffed a bit. "Himura isn't the kind of man to hold grudges you know."  
  
This caused Soujirou to smile a bit more once again. "I do know that.ever after everything I did, he still had mercy on me." His voice had trailed off, and he seemed to be talking more to himself than to her.  
  
As Misao watched him gaze off into space a few moments, another thought dawned on her. {He looks so young.like a boy.and he's wandering.Oh my gosh, I KNOW WHO HE IS!}  
  
She clamped a hand over her mouth and gasped. "Seta Soujirou!"  
  
This snapped Soujirou out of his reflections and it was his turn to stare at her. "How did you guess?"  
  
"When they came back they told us everything. I remember the description of you."  
  
His face seemed to fall once again, and he smiled sadly at her. "Now you know why it would be better that I don't go there with you. It was very nice meeting you, Misao-chan."  
  
He turned to walk away, and so he was very unprepared as an object flew by his head and embedded itself into the wood wall next to him.  
  
"BAKA!" Misao hissed. Soujirou eyed the kunai left in her hand warily. "They won't care! You gave up killing didn't you? Now I bet you wander around just like Himura did! Forget about your past for once and give all of us a chance!" Her face softened a bit. "Please?"  
  
Soujirou watched her in amazement, the kunai in her hands forgotten. {She knows everything I did, everything I was, and she still doesn't care?}  
  
"Well?" Misao inquired after several moments.  
  
The fading sunlight glinted off the sharp metal in her hand.  
  
Soujirou gulped and smiled nervously. "Sounds like a good idea to me!"  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Misao's face had a bittersweet smile. "I was right. They did except and forgive him, just like I knew they would. Himura can understand better than anyone can what Sou-chan went through, so why wouldn't he forgive him?" She sighed. "But will I ever be able to forgive him?"  
  
"I wish you would give me a chance to explain." A second voice interjected.  
  
Misao spun around to see Soujirou standing behind her, coat, lump, and all.  
  
"What do you want?" She muttered.  
  
"I want to explain to you, Misao-chan. I want to tell you everything. I know I shouldn't keep secrets like that."  
  
"You shouldn't have secrets like that at ALL!" Misao cried angrily. "I don't think I even want to know anymore, because I don't want to care anymore. JUST GO AWAY!"  
  
For once, there was no trace of a smile on Soujirou's face. Misao had never seen him like that before, and it hurt her more than she wanted to admit. {Why do I even still care if I hurt his feelings or not?}  
  
Soujirou held out his hand. "Misao, please, just listen."  
  
"I SAID I DON"T WANT TO LISTEN!" She cried again. Reaching into her shirt she pulled out a kunai without really stopping to think about it. She tossed it at him with the full force of her anger behind it, and it sailed through the air towards him.  
  
Soujirou didn't even have to think about it to react, and he turned to where his side was facing her, just enough for the small knife to sail by in front of him. He forgot to take into account though the bulge in the front of his coat. There was a loud ripping sound as the kunai grazed the lump before sticking into the tree behind him.  
  
For several moments there was nothing but silence as both stared at the small bundle of stuffing leaking through the rip in the jacket.  
  
"Koishii." Soujirou whispered faintly.  
  
Moving slowly as if it pained him, Soujirou began to undo the buttons along the front of the coat, slowly revealing the cause of all Misao's misery and anguish. A simple, brown Teddy Bear.  
  
Across the stomach of the small, worn bear was a long gash from one side to the other. Stuffing was leaking out of the cut, and some had fallen to the ground at Soujirou's feet.  
  
Neither he nor Misao could bring themselves to speak for several more moments, and instead both fixed their gaze's on the bear in his hand.  
  
Finally, Misao found her voice. "That's.Koishii? That's what this whole thing was about? Why didn't you just tell me?"  
  
Soujirou nodded at her first question. "I was afraid of what kind of reaction you would have. I didn't know if you would laugh, or.I just didn't want to be anything less in your eyes."  
  
The dirt under Soujirou's feet crunched as he slowly walked towards her. Extending his hand, he held Koishii out to her, and she took her automatically.  
  
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I guess I deserved that." Smiling sadly, he turned and walked into the small grove of trees, leaving a stunned Misao, holding Koishii in one hand.  
  
"Sou-chan." She whispered.  
  
*****  
  
Evening was fading quickly into night, and Kenshin along with Kaoru both sat on the porch, watching the gate with identical worried looks. Kenshin had his arm around Kaoru's shoulders, and his head perched on top of hers while hers rested on his chest.  
  
"Do you think they are okay?" Kaoru murmured.  
  
Kenshin sighed. Just when he was finding some time alone with Kaoru, there were still other things to worry about.  
  
"Hai, Kaoru. I believe they are fine. If they don't come back soon though I can go look for them if it will make you feel better."  
  
Kaoru nodded and sighed as well. {I love it so much when he drops all his formalities when it's just the two of us, alone.}  
  
They sat together like this for several more minutes, when Kenshin seemed to tense slightly.  
  
"What is it?" Kaoru questioned him.  
  
"Someone is coming."  
  
They both waited and watched the dojo gate. It wasn't much longer before the sound of footsteps could be heard by both and a very unhappy Misao trudged in, holding something in her hand.  
  
"Misao-chan!" Kaoru called out, the worry she felt apparent in her voice. "Are you okay?"  
  
Misao stopped and gave the two a weak smile. "I'm fine."  
  
Kenshin noticed what was in her hand along with the damage, but didn't comment. "Would you like something to eat, Misao-dono? You missed all the meals today."  
  
Misao shook her head. "No.I have something I really need to do. Thank you for the offer though."  
  
She walked past them on the porch and into the dark dojo, both watching her go.  
  
"Something was wrong." Kaoru observed. "Maybe I should go check."  
  
"Iie." Kenshin shook his head.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"We need to let them work it out for themselves." He sat quietly for a moment. "And someone else is coming."  
  
Kaoru watched in surprise as Soujirou came through the gate, shutting and locking it behind him quietly. "What were you doing, Sou-chan? Following Misao-chan?"  
  
Soujirou smiled slightly. "I would never have left her out there alone. Not for any reason."  
  
Following the same path Misao had taken a few moments before, he walked past the couple and into the dojo.  
  
With a sigh, Kaoru leaned back towards Kenshin and wrapped her arms around his waist, and he did the same. "I hope they get things straitened out soon. I want them to be as happy as we are."  
  
{No one on earth could be as happy as I am right now} Kenshin thought to himself. Instead of putting these feelings into words though, he leaned down put them all into a kiss just for her.  
  
  
  
  
  
ArtemisMoon: (Looks ready to pass out) Aaaacckkkk! That last part was so hard to write! I promised fluff though, so I tried really, really hard! I am gonna have cavities before this is all over! I hope everyone really enjoyed it though and will except it as a sincere apology for taking so long to write it! I hope the next chapter turns out as well, and I actually really liked this one and the way it turned out. Now I am pretty positive that this next chapter will be the last! Okay, now, a lot of you I bet have read Kajun Spice's poem under her author name. She is actually considering writing one for this story, so if you want one in the next chapter, beg and plead in your review for one and make her feel guilty if she doesn't! She is sooooo good at stuff like that!  
  
Kajun Spice: Actually, I wanted them to throw rotten fruit at you not because of how long you took, but for giving me CAVITIES! And no, its not because you are that sweet.*gulps nervously as Artemis glares at her* Okay, so you really are sweet! No wait, I changed my mind again, they are from all the Reeces! 


	9. Endings

*FAN ART ALERT*

Before any comments are made today, we just have to say…WE GOT FAN ART! Yep, one of our reviews we nice enough to do this for us! Thank you Phoe-chan! And just so we can show it off to all the reviewers, there will be a link to it! It is a picture of Soujirou getting kunai thrown at him. ^_^ And also, thank you for pointing out that Misao had already seen Soujirou when Kenshin's sword broke. For the sake of the story, well just pretend all of them have really bad memories so they don't remember that. -_-;

http://ayamari.fateback.com/art/meetingmisao.jpg 

ArtemisMoon: I was so excited that we got fan art! I know we don't deserve it though, cause I have been so bad about updating. I am really sorry about that. I have this thing about not finishing stories more often that not. I guess I don't like seeing the story end. Or else just the fact that I go through 'phases' and at the moment I am on an Inuyasha phase, and not a Kenshin phase. Poor Ken-san!

Kajun Spice: Fan art!!! Can you believe it???? Thanks Phoe-chan!!! You did a GREAT job!!! Well, Artemis and I got together and wrote a nice fluffy poem for this chapter. She called asking me to write it then started giving suggestions. Turns out she wrote more of it than I did. I think it came out very good but I'm just a little bias! Sorry it has taken so long to get the last chapter out! I'm back in Louisiana and haven't had internet connection in a loooong while. I know, excuses, excuses. But thanks to everyone who has stuck with the story. Ya'll are awesome! Hope ya'll enjoy the story!!! 

Thoughts are in { }

Author's comments are in ( )

Disclaimer: We don't own anything. Nothing, nada, zip…oh, except for Koishii! And well start the bidding at $100! What, no takers? Spoil sports, just because she's damaged goods…ooppss, I forgot, we do own the story and the poem.

Koishii

A lone lantern was still burning late that night. Misao had shut herself up in a room alone while she thought everyone else was sleeping, busy with her task. She worked steadily, ignoring the urge to just stop and sleep. What she was doing was much too important.

Little did she know, she wasn't the only one awake that night. In another room, Soujirou was unable to sleep as well. He stared sightlessly at the rice paper wall, thinking about the events of the day.

And still yet, there was one other person awake. But unlike the other two, he wasn't at all depressed. Sitting outside in the moonlight, our red-haired hero was writing something and smiling to himself. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The sun was just rising when Kaoru opened her eyes. The first thing on her mind was obviously Kenshin, and that helped her start the day off in a really good mood! Stretching and smiling happily, her arm hit the spot beside her pillow and she heard a crackling noise.

"What was that?" She murmured, not being quite awake enough to comprehend anything very quickly.

Sitting up and taking a moment to blink her bleary eyes, she stared dumbly at the folded piece of paper next to her pillow. It had her name on it in large, clear writing.

Her eyes suddenly widened when a certain thought occurred to her, and she voiced it out loud to herself. "Mou! Please don't tell me Misao-chan or Sou-chan decided to run away in the middle of the night!" (Hehe, maybe they ran away TOGETHER Kaoru…)

With this thought, she cautiously picked up the note and unfolded it carefully. She was more than a little worried about what the contents might be.

When it was finally opened, she scanned the contents and let out a startled gasp. "Nani?!?!"

My life changed forever that fateful day, 

The moment I turned and looked your way. 

The look in your eyes as you discovered my past, 

Told me I'd finally found forgiveness at last. 

You welcomed me in with arms open wide, 

And helped me heal, for I was battered inside. 

Your love has completed me and made me whole, 

Now you are an irreplaceable piece of my soul. 

From your side I could never depart, 

For you are my life, home, love...and heart.

There was nothing else except the poem written on the piece of parchment, not even the name of the author or a clue as to why it had been written. But really, she didn't need anymore than that. The poem said everything it needed to.

Kaoru had to read the poem several times over, not at all sure she could believe Kenshin capable of writing poetry! This thought brought a smile to her face and made her laugh, even as she felt like crying because of what the poem said. 

She sighed, thinking about their past and everything that had happened to them, good and bad. The poem expressed it all…exactly how Kenshin felt about her, the pain he had suffered, and how much he loved her now and what she had done for him. When they had met, and he had been so stained with guilt over the horrible crimes he had committed, he didn't feel like he was worthy of being loved.

But Kaoru never saw him that way, even at the beginning. Kenshin was Kenshin. Nothing that he had done mattered to her, and it never would as long as he stayed with her. She didn't think she could ever be happy without him.

Carefully folding the paper up, she slipped in it a box that contained special items. It was black with gold trim, and had a small gold lock on the front. Inside, her mother's favorite hair comb, and some dried flowers given to her by her father rested together, tangible memories of the most special people in her life. Now Kenshin had his own special place in her memory box.

Smiling, Kaoru got dressed, eager to talk to Kenshin and thank him for the poem. No one had ever done something so sweet for her before! In her happy haze, she had forgotten all about the drama from the night before.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He was a nervous wreck! How could he have gone and done something like that? Maybe the moonlight from last night had gone to his brain or something, because now he felt like kicking himself! What if she hated it? Or worse, what if she laughed? He would never be able get over it if that happened!

Moaning, Kenshin buried his face in his hands and ignored the breakfast that was burning. For once, his food was looking much worse than anything Kaoru could ever concoct! Fretting about that poem is going to get him food poisoning…or bodily injury when the other Dojo occupants are told they are going to have to eat it, and they try to kill him!

Because of his preoccupation and misery, he failed to hear Kaoru's bare feet headed towards him until it was too late.

"KENSHIN!"

"OROOOO!"

She tackled him, and both went flying off the porch and into the dirt. At least he hadn't been standing directly in the kitchen at the time, or they might be sitting in a boiling pot of rice right about now. ^_^

"Thank you for the poem Kenshin! It was so sweet!" Kaoru had a death grip with her arms around his neck, and the poor guy was gasping for air.

"Sessha's…glad you liked it!" He squeaked, using the last of his precious air supply and his eyes began to swirl.

Taking the hint when his entire body went limp, Kaoru finally let go so she could look him in the face, and started apologizing profusely, not that he was conscious enough to hear her. 

Hmm, maybe it would have been less painful if she hadn't liked it, after all…

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Soujirou smiled as he witnessed the little scene between Kenshin and Kaoru. They made such a cute couple, and the sight of the two together could never fail to cheer him up, even after such a miserable, sleepless night.

He was standing on the porch outside the room Misao had shut herself in the night before, and he could still hear her, awake and mumbling quietly. He couldn't catch anything she was saying though, no matter how hard he tried.

Finally decided it would be best to go ahead and talk to her, he cracked the sliding door open slightly. 

She was sitting with her back to him, hunched over and looking pretty pathetic. A burned out lantern wasn't far from her, and she had something in her arms.

"Misao-chan…"

She put down whatever was in her arms, and turned towards him. Her hands were twisted nervously in the front of her shirt where he couldn't see them, dark circles were under her eyes, and she looked very tired. Or maybe weary would be a better word.

"Hai?"

He gazed at her with concern, noticing how sad her voice sounded.

"Misao-chan, can we please talk?" He smiled at her.

Her eyes widened slightly at the smile, but she only nodded silently.

Making himself comfortable on the floor in front of her, he smiled at her once more before he began in a quiet voice. "I didn't sleep very well Misao-chan."

This caused her to hang her head. "Why? Because you missed Koishii?"

"No! I mean, please just listen to me first, okay?" He waited for her nod, and tried again. "I couldn't sleep last night because I was thinking. And I was thinking about you and me, not Koishii. I realized something really important. First of all, I wanted to say I'm sorry."

This caused Misao to open her mouth in protest again, but he silenced her with a look that said 'You promised to let me say what I want, now deal with it!'

"I wanted to apologize, because I realized a teddy bear is nothing compared to someone I love, and I shouldn't have let it come between us like that. Can you ever forgive me Misao-chan?"

"You…you said…someone you LOVE?" She was sure she hadn't heard that part correctly, and her face showed her shock.

"Ah." He nodded in agreement.

Still she had doubts. "Are you talking about me?"

Smiling even wider now, he teased her a bit. "Who else would I be talking about, Yahiko?"

This got a small laugh out of her, but she still sounded unsure. "I…I'm sorry to, Sou-chan. I should have just asked you about it and not snuck around like I did. I hated feeling like I couldn't trust you!"

"Do you still not trust me?"

She shook her head furiously. "Not anymore!"

This made his heart feel so much lighter, although he knew everything wasn't resolved quite yet. "What were you doing in here all night?"

This caused Misao to pause, and a bright blush stained her cheeks. "I was going to show you soon. I felt so bad about what happened, cause you love Koishii so much. So…"

Pulling the mysterious bundle out from behind her back, she held it out to Soujirou, not daring to look at him. Instead, she stared steadily at her lap.

When she had moved to hand him the object, he finally got a good look at her hands, which had previously been hidden in her clothes. Several of her fingers red and had dried blood from tiny spots that looked like pinpricks. That caused him to ignore the bundle completely in favor of her hands.

"Misao-chan, what happened to your fingers!" He grabbed her hands and she dropped what she was holding, surprising her enough that she looked up at him.

"Don't you want to know what that was I just gave you?"

"Iie, that's not important right now. We need to bandage your fingers, and you need to tell me why they are like this." The look on his face was stern, a very UN-Soujirou like look.

If Misao's face had been red before, it was nothing compared to now! Her cheeks were practically on fire as she stuttered an answer. "M-my fingers are o-kay, I've just never been t-that good with sewing…"

This gave Soujirou a pause, and the look on his face was priceless! "Sewing? What were you doing sewing in the middle of the night?"

"Mou, you are so clueless Sou-chan! If you would just look at what I gave you, then you might know!"

Reluctantly, Soujirou let go of Misao's hands and reached for the lump of cloth that had been dumped in the floor. With curiosity getting the better of him, he unwrapped it quickly.

His gasp was quite loud and audible! "K-Koishii!"

His poor little teddy bear hand been 'nursed back to heath' by not very capable hands. His stomach had been carefully sewed back together with messy stitches, and the stuffing inside pooched out in an awkward looking bump. Over the stitches some bandages had been wrapped and tied, causing it to look like a little wound.

"I'm sorry it looks so bad, but I never had anyone teach me how to use a needle…so you see- EEPP!"

Whatever she had been about to say was lost when Soujirou jumped up and hugged her, causing her face to turn as red as a tomato once again!

"Koishii never looked better Misao, because you cared enough to fix her. Now I can always think of you when I look at her."

Misao melted right then and there! Wrapping her arms around him as well, she hugged him tightly, never wanting to let him go. They stood like that for several minutes, neither wanting to be the first to move away.

"Misao-chan?" Soujirou's muffled voice finally spoke from where he had his face in her hair.

"Hmm?"

"When I first came in here…were you talking to yourself?"

Misao paused. "Not exactly…"

Soujirou smiled, able to guess where this was leading. "Who were you talking to then?"

"Ummm…"

"She listens really well, doesn't she?" Soujirou laughed lightly.

This caused Misao to relax, happy that he understood. "Hai. After talking to Koishii myself, I think I finally understand you better."

"You do?" He voice was hopeful.

"Uh huh…I finally figured out your crazy, talking to stuffed animals like that!"

This made him smile with a hint of mischief. "Since you were talking to her too, then we must belong together, cause that proves your just as crazy as I am!"

"Hai. And Sou-chan?"

"Nani?"

"I love you too…"

ArtemisMoon: Oh my God, it's OVER! I think I am gonna die of shock! Oh wait! I forgot! We have the bonus ending that Kajun wrote, something I wrote, as well as thank you's to all our readers! I can never say thank you enough, but I am gonna try to say something to each and every person who reviewed! You deserve it soooooo much more than I can say for putting up with my procrastinating! I hope you enjoyed the story. Please review, even if you just yell at me for taking so long. I know I deserve it. Thank you!

Kajun Spice: YAY!! It's finally over! Wait, why am I so excited? A good story has finally come to an end. How depressing! I think I am going to cry! ~sniffle~ (Don't mind me...too much caffine!) At least we still have the two endings Artemis and I wrote! I haven't even read hers yet. Thank's again to everyone who read, reviewed, and gave pointers! We live for ya'lls reviews!!


	10. BONUS!

*PLEASE READ*  
  
Okay, bonus chapter! In it, we have something written by me (which you should read if you felt, hehe, that something very IMPORTANT was missing in the story.or even if you didn't notice!), something written by Kajun Spice (A very cute bonus ending), and all the thanks we can manage for our wonderful reviewers, so be sure and look for your name!!! If we miss anyone, we didn't mean to!  
  
*PLEASE READ*  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: We do not own anything but Koishii and this story, which we couldn't manage to auction off.  
  
  
  
*******************************  
  
Bonus by: Kajun Spice  
  
On a dark moonlit night, the occupants of the dojo were awakened by screams of sheer terror coming from Soujirou's room! While rushing towards the sound coming from the room Soujirou and Yahiko now shared (cough, the reason should be apparent, cough), Kenshin's imagination ran away with him.  
  
{Perhaps Yahiko is angry that Sou-chan beat him in practice today and has decided to dole out retribution to his victim while he sleeps!}  
  
Sliding open the rice paper door, Kenshin rushed into the room followed quickly by Kaoru and Misao. The sight that greeted them was disconcerting. Yahiko was huddled on his futon, pressed as close to the wall as he could get. His eyes were widened in fear and fixed on his roommate.  
  
Soujirou had a wild look about him as he rummaged through his trench coat, then ripped the covers from the bed and flipped it over, all the while muttering a single phrase over and over. Turning eyes full of shock and tears on the little group he groaned, "She's gone!"  
  
Outside, barely discernable through the leaves of the tree, two forms huddled together on a limb.  
  
"It's not robbery, silly! She was our creation in the first place, so we have a right to take her!" One form hissed to the other. "And be sure to hold her with both hands; I won't be responsible if you drop her and she gets hurt! Sou-chan would be very unhappy!"  
  
Unwrapping a Reese's and popping it into her mouth, the other form hisses back, "Take a good look in that dojo; he's already very unhappy! I'm just glad that the person who sent us to do this job had the sense to send payment in chocolate!"  
  
Inside the dojo where everyone was gathered, a mournful wailing began. As the wind caught it, a single word was carried away....."Koishiiiiiiiii!"  
  
Walking to the door of the dojo, Misao saw a small gold square float out of a tree. With a knowing smile, she turned and walked away.  
  
(For anyone who didn't get it, that was Artemis and Kajun, and the gold square was a Reece's wrapper, lol)  
  
*******************************  
  
Bonus by: ArtemisMoon  
  
Artemis: Kajun, do you get the feeling we forgot something?  
  
Kajun: I thought it turned out fine, Why?  
  
Artemis: Our readers are glaring at us.  
  
Kajun: Ohhh, I see what you mean! (Gulp)  
  
Artemis: Should we ask what's wrong?  
  
Soujirou: Don't bother.  
  
Misao: Yeah, you should ask US!!!!! WE WERE THE VICTIMS!  
  
Angela: She's a LOT scarier than any of our reviewers!  
  
Soujirou: And if you don't correct the problem, I can be even scarier.  
  
Kajun: I DON'T WANNA DIE!  
  
Misao: Then fix the problem!  
  
Artemis: Okay.but umm, what is the problem?  
  
Soujirou: Simple. We.didn't.KISS! Not once in the entire story!  
  
Kajun: Uh oh. You're dead!  
  
Artemis: ME?!?! Why me?  
  
Kajun: CAUSE IT'S NOT MY FAULT!  
  
Artemis: Okay, okay.if I correct the problem, will you leave me alone?  
  
(Sou-chan and Misao nod happily)  
  
  
  
"She loves me!" Soujirou cried happily as he continued to hug Misao.  
  
Meanwhile, she waited patiently.  
  
"She loves me, she loves me, she loves me."  
  
"Sou-chan?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Shut up and kiss me!"  
  
Dipping him back in a very dramatic pose, the two kiss passionately, their separation fueling the passion between the two soon to be lovers! The whole room grew several degrees hotter, and both started to sweat profusely.  
  
Soujirou was the first to come up for air. "I never knew having such an aggressive girlfriend could be so much fun!"  
  
Misao smirked. "I bet Koishii never kissed you like that!"  
  
Soujirou shook his head. "Nope, never. So I wouldn't mind another to make up for lost time."  
  
Misao grinned. "We have weeks to make up for! Just one more isn't gonna cut it!"  
  
"You don't hear me arguing."  
  
  
  
Artemis: How was that?  
  
(Sou-chan and Misao are too busy kissing to answer)  
  
Kajun: I wish we had a camera.  
  
Artemis: Me too. Oh well, maybe someone will draw of some fan art of that steamy little scene.  
  
Kajun: But this story is only rated PG!  
  
Artemis: Good point. Oh well.  
  
*******************************  
  
THANKS  
  
Phoe-chan: You get the biggest thanks because you were so wonderful and drew that picture for us! We know the other readers will love it! And you were also one of the biggest reasons that this even got finished. Thank you, thank you, thank you a billion times over!  
  
Me10sai: You were the other main reason this got finished! We loved your reviews and e-mails, and of course we can't forget the turtle Koishii! Now that this is finished you have to get to work on your dragon story for everybody to read! Both of us love it!  
  
Hotohori: Even though for a long time we didn't have an address for you and so we couldn't inform you of updates, you still came back and reviewed regularly. Reviews like that mean a lot because that shows how much you liked the story! And you see? You did get your two chapters and WAFF that you requested. ^_^  
  
Magia: Thanks for reviewing and for the big hug and the good luck! It was much appreciated LOL!  
  
Omochi: Loved getting reviews from you! We could tell you liked the story and it's always nice when someone gets involved in something you write. Maybe one day one of us will write something else for you to read! Hehe, maybe is saying a lot knowing us.  
  
Foureyedbookworm: (By Artemis) I loved seeing that review from you! It really made my day and it was so long! I was flattered that even though you didn't know anything about Kenshin, you still took the time to return the favor and reviewed it. ^_^ People like you are what makes fanfiction.com such a fun place and a good reason why I enjoy getting to know other authors on here. I hope you update your Inuyasha story soon, cause if I can get off my lazy butt and finish something, anyone can I think!  
  
Fujifunmum: So sorry, so sorry, so sorry! It was just terrible of us to take so long updating, especially after your wonderful reviews! Even after you said we were finally changing your mind about Misao/Soujirou pairings. We hope you won't hold it against them. ^_^ Thank you for taking the time to read! Now Artemis has to go check out your Inuyasha stuff. Especially that lemon if you still have it posted somewhere, LOL.  
  
Marstanuki: Another one of our favorite reviewers! Anyone who comes back and reviews as often as you do deserves a bag of Reeces! Too bad we're broke. :-( Anyway, I am sure you at least appreciate the thought, right? ^_^  
  
Hembadoon: You only read this story because you're our sister and cousin! Sigh.but at least you were loyal about reading it and giving good advice about the fluff that we were so unsure of.so THANK YOU!  
  
Dora-chan: Your review was really funny and we loved it! Especially after reading that one story you wrote (Artemis read it anyway) It's always flattering when such a great writer likes what you write, so thank you very much!  
  
DiaBLo: You loved this enough to add it to your list! We need to give you a cookie, or at least a Reeces! Very few took the time to add us to their list, so maybe we should give you a truckload! We hope you like chocolate, LOL.  
  
Kyouhi: Thanks so much for the reviews that you left! And thank you for the smooch and that fact that you love us! At least someone does, LOL!  
  
Chibigreen Tanuki: You might have changed your name, but you can't hide from us! We know who you are, and you're another one of our favorite reviewers! You came back so often to review, and we loved them all! Sigh, too bad its over, and no more reviews, sniffle.  
  
K-chan: Ahhh, a waff fan that appreciates us! Thank you, cause we know that isn't exactly what we are good at. Humor is more our speed, but it makes us feel better about our waff when someone likes it!  
  
Shizuka: We really wanted Koishii to be a mystery to everyone, at least for a while! It would have been drawn out longer if one of us (Artemis) had her way, but Kajun saved you all and put her foot down, LOL! Thanks for reading!  
  
Lievet1: Wow, you're review was enough to make us blush! It was so flattering! We hope you didn't get dragged off to the mental hospital because of us! We don't want to lose a reviewer! j/k  
  
Firuze: YAY! Another favorite reviewer! It was always so much fun reading your reviews! Your almost as crazy as us, if not crazier, and we always like people like that! We don't have a white haired Koishii for you, but maybe I will loan you Inuyasha for a while.but only for a little while. ^_~ (Artemis drools over his white hair and adorable doggy ears)  
  
Aki-chan: Thank you for liking our story so much that you actually wanted to be updated, LOL.most people get updates anyway without asking for it. So they probably don't want it, hehehe.  
  
Midori: Hehe, we bugged you SO much to update 'Ballad of a Lonely Heart' and look how long it too us to update! Sad, isn't it? We enjoyed your reviews so much though, and we also find it amazing that a writer as good as you took the time to read our stuff! You give us confidence in our writing!  
  
Toraneko: We hope that's your name now, LOL.we enjoyed reading your reviews so much, even all those ones where you got lazy and didn't sign in, hehe.we do know how that feels!  
  
Stephanie: Thanks for the reviews! And for leaving your address cause that means we could let you know when we updated! LOL, if only other reviewers were so nice!  
  
Susan: You were one of our favorite reviewers! You reviewed almost every chapter, and since you are such a wonderful author that makes us very happy! Your comments were always so nice and we loved it when he managed to make you laugh. ^_^  
  
Blueangel: Thanks for leaving reviews for us, and we're glad you loved the story. We hope you decided to come back and read the rest, we love hearing what reviewers think of what we wrote!  
  
Amakasu Toko: You seemed to really get a good laugh out of this story! Making people laugh like that is always so much fun and your review was really appreciated! We hope you read and enjoyed the rest of the story, even if you didn't review again!  
  
MP: Thank you for your review! And for the four thumbs up, although we are a bit worried as to where those other thumbs came from, hehe.  
  
Onna: Thanks so, so much for reviewing as much as you did! We're glad you found the story funny, and we look forward to another review if you come back for the rest!  
  
Asaka-chan: Oh, we missed your reviews later in the story! They were always crazy and so much fun to read! People as crazy as us are rare (hehe, maybe not) and reviews from them are even rarer! Please review again!  
  
Cen: Your reviews were pretty early on in the story, but we appreciated them! Hopefully you will find the chance to read the rest, because we did work hard on it for the readers. Thanks! ^_^  
  
Rebecca: Thanks for taking the time to read our little ficcy and leave a couple of reviews, because we enjoyed reading them!  
  
Chibi-angel: We are so sad that you didn't come back and finish reading our story, because you were the reviewer that inspired it! But thank you anyway for what you did read and review, because your own writing is so great! Your reviews were so flattering, and we enjoyed reading them!  
  
Gypsy-chan: We missed you later in the story, but we loved the reviews you left! The fact that you posted my other story on your wonderful site shows how much you liked our writing though! Thank you so, so, so much and we hope you find the time to read the rest!  
  
Shinsetsu: Thanks for the review you left and the comments you made! Reoccurring reviewers are always the most appreciated!  
  
Andromadalia: Oh, another favorite reviewer! Its too bad you didn't get very far into the story because we really got a kick out of your reviews! But it was so much fun reading what you did leave us! THANK YOU!!!  
  
Bumblebee-Queen: Thanks for being one of our earliest reviewers! Since we were just beginning this story, your review helped a lot and kept us going.  
  
Nynja: You were our very FIRST reviewer and that means a TON to us! Thanks for reading what you did!  
  
Marta: Ooppps, we think we missed you the first time around or your comment would have appeared a lot sooner in the list, LOL! But now we can say thank you for reviewing! (Whew, at least we caught it!)  
  
That should cover everyone, and if you were somehow missed, please forgive us! Trying to make sure you cover everyone is a lot harder than you would think, LOL.but anyway, we are so sad that this story is over! We hope you will leave us one last review for the road!  
  
THANKS FOR READING PEOPLE! 


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